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http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/003138.html
Woman arrested for speaking freely right after Bush call for "freedom...to speak freely"
--and CNN calls it "a blemish" on Hu visit
Usually watching CNN with one eye as we blog from our undisclosed location doesn't give us much new fodder, except for the occasional "stuck landing gear" crisis. But today we are aghast at the coverage of Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House.
At an outdoor ceremony, Bush told Hu:
China has become successful because the Chinese people are experience the freedom to buy, and to sell, and to produce -- and China can grow even more successful by allowing the Chinese people the freedom to assemble, to speak freely, and to worship.
Seconds later, one of the people assembled on the White House south lawn actually tried to speak freely right here in America -- about both the lack of free speech and religious freedom in China.
That free-speaking woman was promptly hauled off and arrested:
She shouted in heavily accented English, "President Bush: Stop him from killing" and, "President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong."
Bush, standing next to Hu, leaned over and whispered a comment to the Chinese leader, who paused briefly when the shouting began and then resumed his remarks.
The protester was waving a banner with the red and yellow colors used by Falun Gong, a banned religious movement in China. She kept shouting for several minutes before Secret Service uniformed agents were able to make their way to her position at the top of the camera stand. They dragged her off the stand.
A photographer who was standing next to the protester tried momentarily to quiet her by putting his hand in front of her mouth.
Watching the scene unfold, we felt like we were living on a different planet from the folks at CNN. Any enemy of free speech is an enemy of ours, and we have long loathed the totalitarian regime in Beijing. Like millions of other, we still see the picture of the lone man standing up to a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square as the iconic picture of our times.
Why do we get the impression that President Bush, his Secret Service -- and CNN -- were rooting for the tanks.
For while we viewed the protestor as a hero, the talking heads on the global cable network were appalled at what they covered as a security breach.
CNN's correspondent on the scene, Elaine Quijano, promptly called the heckler "a blemish, if you will, on this visit." The host, Frederica Whitfield, promptly picked up on that, calling the actual exercise of free speech "an embarassing moment for the White House."
Of course, anyone who was trying to watch the proceedings in China on CNN International probably didn't see that remark. According to Matt Drudge (we know, we know), "During CNN International's post-speech commentary, at mention of south lawn heckler, screen went black again... feed returned when topic was no longer being discussed... "
Wonder who pulled the plug there -- the Chinese authorities, or someone at CNN?
We don't know, but it's clear that American companies are willing to put up with all kinds of censorship and other allegedly un-American activities for the chance to market their wares for 1.3 billion potential new customers. Check out this nauseating story about Google's operation in China, the cover story in this weekend's New York Times Magazine.
It was difficult for me to know exactly how Lee felt about the company's arrangement with China's authoritarian leadership. As a condition of our meeting, Google had demanded that I not raise the issue of government relations; only the executives in Google's California head office were allowed to discuss those matters. But as Lee and I talked about how the Internet was transforming China, he offered one opinion that seemed telling: the Chinese students he meets and employs, Lee said, do not hunger for democracy. "People are actually quite free to talk about the subject," he added, meaning democracy and human rights in China. "I don't think they care that much. I think people would say: 'Hey, U.S. democracy, that's a good form of government. Chinese government, good and stable, that's a good form of government. Whatever, as long as I get to go to my favorite Web site, see my friends, live happily.'"
Apparently, nothing trumps "the freedom to buy, and to sell, and to produce."
Meanwhile, free speech continues to slide here at home. Rather than back down, the FBI is stepping up its stunning effort to confiscate papers belonging to the estate of late investigative journalist Jack Anderson:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that it will ask the Justice Department to take action if the government cannot reach an agreement with the family of the muckraking journalist Jack Anderson to search through his papers. The FBI believes that Anderson's archive, which is now held by George Washington University's library, contains classified information -- although most of it is likely decades old.
Indeed, we would love to know just what exactly Bush -- the man who, you'll remember, did not utter a word when told the United States was under attack on 9/11 -- whispered to Hu this morning as that poor woman was dragged off. Probably something like, "Check out how we deal with 'em over here!"
Woman arrested for speaking freely right after Bush call for "freedom...to speak freely"
--and CNN calls it "a blemish" on Hu visit
Usually watching CNN with one eye as we blog from our undisclosed location doesn't give us much new fodder, except for the occasional "stuck landing gear" crisis. But today we are aghast at the coverage of Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House.
At an outdoor ceremony, Bush told Hu:
China has become successful because the Chinese people are experience the freedom to buy, and to sell, and to produce -- and China can grow even more successful by allowing the Chinese people the freedom to assemble, to speak freely, and to worship.
Seconds later, one of the people assembled on the White House south lawn actually tried to speak freely right here in America -- about both the lack of free speech and religious freedom in China.
That free-speaking woman was promptly hauled off and arrested:
She shouted in heavily accented English, "President Bush: Stop him from killing" and, "President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong."
Bush, standing next to Hu, leaned over and whispered a comment to the Chinese leader, who paused briefly when the shouting began and then resumed his remarks.
The protester was waving a banner with the red and yellow colors used by Falun Gong, a banned religious movement in China. She kept shouting for several minutes before Secret Service uniformed agents were able to make their way to her position at the top of the camera stand. They dragged her off the stand.
A photographer who was standing next to the protester tried momentarily to quiet her by putting his hand in front of her mouth.
Watching the scene unfold, we felt like we were living on a different planet from the folks at CNN. Any enemy of free speech is an enemy of ours, and we have long loathed the totalitarian regime in Beijing. Like millions of other, we still see the picture of the lone man standing up to a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square as the iconic picture of our times.
Why do we get the impression that President Bush, his Secret Service -- and CNN -- were rooting for the tanks.
For while we viewed the protestor as a hero, the talking heads on the global cable network were appalled at what they covered as a security breach.
CNN's correspondent on the scene, Elaine Quijano, promptly called the heckler "a blemish, if you will, on this visit." The host, Frederica Whitfield, promptly picked up on that, calling the actual exercise of free speech "an embarassing moment for the White House."
Of course, anyone who was trying to watch the proceedings in China on CNN International probably didn't see that remark. According to Matt Drudge (we know, we know), "During CNN International's post-speech commentary, at mention of south lawn heckler, screen went black again... feed returned when topic was no longer being discussed... "
Wonder who pulled the plug there -- the Chinese authorities, or someone at CNN?
We don't know, but it's clear that American companies are willing to put up with all kinds of censorship and other allegedly un-American activities for the chance to market their wares for 1.3 billion potential new customers. Check out this nauseating story about Google's operation in China, the cover story in this weekend's New York Times Magazine.
It was difficult for me to know exactly how Lee felt about the company's arrangement with China's authoritarian leadership. As a condition of our meeting, Google had demanded that I not raise the issue of government relations; only the executives in Google's California head office were allowed to discuss those matters. But as Lee and I talked about how the Internet was transforming China, he offered one opinion that seemed telling: the Chinese students he meets and employs, Lee said, do not hunger for democracy. "People are actually quite free to talk about the subject," he added, meaning democracy and human rights in China. "I don't think they care that much. I think people would say: 'Hey, U.S. democracy, that's a good form of government. Chinese government, good and stable, that's a good form of government. Whatever, as long as I get to go to my favorite Web site, see my friends, live happily.'"
Apparently, nothing trumps "the freedom to buy, and to sell, and to produce."
Meanwhile, free speech continues to slide here at home. Rather than back down, the FBI is stepping up its stunning effort to confiscate papers belonging to the estate of late investigative journalist Jack Anderson:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that it will ask the Justice Department to take action if the government cannot reach an agreement with the family of the muckraking journalist Jack Anderson to search through his papers. The FBI believes that Anderson's archive, which is now held by George Washington University's library, contains classified information -- although most of it is likely decades old.
Indeed, we would love to know just what exactly Bush -- the man who, you'll remember, did not utter a word when told the United States was under attack on 9/11 -- whispered to Hu this morning as that poor woman was dragged off. Probably something like, "Check out how we deal with 'em over here!"
btw, ever hear of weapons screening? you honestly think she could have snuck in with a rifle just because she managed to sneak in with a differing opinion?